Generation after generation, these American dynasties have maintained their lofty positions.

du Pont

du Pont

The du Ponts trace their lineage back to French Huguenot nobility, but they came to prominence by founding one of the great industrial companies, in 1802. They started with gun powder and eventually played a critical role in the development of the Bomb. Eleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours's descendants ran the eponymous company well into the 20th century; they continue to hold an interest in the chemical giant. The current patriarch, former Delaware governor Pete du Pont, writes a column for the Wall Street Journal, but he's not the only scribe in the family. Lea Carpenter (a T&C contributing editor) has a book, Eleven Days, coming out in June. The family's cultural and philanthropic legacy includes the Nemours Foundation; Henry du Pont's Winterthur, devoted to American decorative arts; George A. "Frolic" Weymouth's Brandywine River Museum and Conservancy; and Longwood, once Pierre S. du Pont's home and now considered one of the world's most spectacular gardens.

Du Pont descendant Frolic Weymouth designed a family chapel in Greenville, Delaware, which was featured in Town & Country in December 2011.

Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt

For some the name Vanderbilt is rooted in a memory of a signature on a pair of beloved blue jeans, or known as part of Anderson Cooper's family tree, but the house that Cornelius built still stands. His heirs may not have been as good at managing money as the Commodore was at making it, but their legacy remains visible in the form of several historic mansions, a university, various streets and avenues, and Grand Central Terminal.

Gloria Vanderbilt runs down the street with her two sons, Anderson and Carter, in New York City, 1976.